FOX / Bob's Burgers
H. Jon Benjamin’s Bob’s Burgers was thrust into a precarious position after actor Jay Johnston, the voice of Jimmy Pesto, was arrested for his involvement in the January 6th attack on the Capitol.
They have now replaced Johnston with a new voice actor, Eric Bauza, who had previously appeared on the show as the voice of ‘Big Bob’.
Jimmy Pesto wasn’t someone who appeared in every single episode but his role was pretty crucial as Bob Belcher’s nemesis and Jay Johnston had voiced Jimmy Pesto in 43 episodes between 2011 and 2021 before he was arrested and subsequently dropped from the show.
The Bob’s Burgers team made the decision to keep Jimmy Pesto as a character but bring in Eric Bauza to replace Jay Johnston. Season 14, Episode 5’s ‘Bully-ieve It or Not’ premiered this past Sunday (11/5) and it marked Eric Bauza’s first appearance as Jimmy Pesto, which was first reported by Comicbook.com.
For anyone wondering, the ‘Burger of the Day’ in Eric Bauza’s debut as Jimmy Pesto was ‘The Burger Ball Pit’ where the one large burger patty has been replaced by tiny meatballs.
Eric Bauza is a Canadian-American actor who has already amassed a very accomplished resume. He was the voice of Splinter in 2022’s Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie. Bauza also voiced Daffy Duck and Porky Pig in the 2021 Space Jam: A New Legacy reboot with LeBron James. He has nearly 350 actor credits on IMDB and counting.
Bob’s Burgers is one of the most highly-rated animated comedies of the past decade. It has been nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards every year since 2012.
Actor Jay Johnston who previously voiced Jimmy Pesto was arrested by the FBI on June 7th. He was charged with felony obstruction of officers during civil disorder. According to the NYTimes, Johnston was charged on 4 total counts that also included civil disorder and entering a restricted building.
Jay Johnston was identified after the FBI published photos of him at the Capitol Riot on January 6th:
The #FBI is still seeking information on people who took part in the violence at the U.S. Capitol on January 6. If you know this individual, visit https://t.co/iL7sD5efWD. Refer to photo 247 in your tip. pic.twitter.com/CetMHzU190
— FBI (@FBI) March 4, 2021
The NYT reports the FBI came into possession of a text message from Johnston to a friend revealing that he was there. That text read “The news presented it as an attack. It actually wasn’t. Thought it kind of turned into that. It was a mess. Got maced and tear gassed.”
Johnston’s case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section according to a Justice Department filing.